The Earth is Moving!

Carole King put it best in her song “I Feel the Earth Move” with her relatable lyrics, “I feel the earth move under my feet, I feel the sky come tumbling down.” California experienced multiple earthquakes last week. With all this talk about earthquakes, especially on Vanguard campus, are students prepared? Being in California, people need to be aware of “The Big One.”

Vanguard Students were more ready for Humans vs Zombies than they were for an earthquake. First, what is an earthquake and how do they happen? USGS.gov (United States Geological Survery) says, “An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another.”

How one should properly react to an earthquake, when inside, is to get under a sturdy piece of furniture and hold onto it. Stay under that furniture until the shaking has stopped. Then head outside and make sure everything is secure. Nathan Aufenkamp, a Vanguard student from North Dakota, wrote on his facebook page, “Does earthquake safety include yelling, ‘This is so cool!!’ while watching everything shake and then running out of my room giggling like a small child? If so, I reached the pinnacle of safety in that situation tonight.”  Nathan, though excited, did not show earthquake safety.

Movies fantasize about how great of a destruction California earthquakes can cause. In the 2010 movie “2012,” an earthquake splits Southern California into a wedge that is plunging into the ocean. Though this may be exaggerated, the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 left the city in shambles and flames. Californians are always cautious when an earthquake does happen.

There is a threat that the earthquake named “The Big One” will hit southern California. All Californians are anticipating “The Big One” like Christians anticipate the Second Coming; no one will know when it will happen. You have to live life in preparation for that day, and it will mark the end of the world.

But California cannot be that burden. We have the beach, desert, city, mountains, and, of course, Vanguard. Keep in mind the proper way to protect yourself during an earthquake and enjoy life.